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Batman Forever
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the the third installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series, with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Also stars Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell. The plot focuses on Batman trying to stop Two-Face and the Riddler in their villainous scheme to drain information from all the brains in Gotham City. He gains allegiance from a love interest—psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian—and a young, orphaned circus acrobat named Dick Grayson, who becomes his sidekick Robin. The film's tone was different from the previous installments, becoming more family-friendly since Warner Bros. considered that the previous film, Batman Returns (1992), underperformed at the box office due to its violence and dark overtones. Schumacher eschewed the dark, dystopian atmosphere of Burton's films, and drew inspiration directly from the Batman comic book seen in the 1940s/early 1950s, and the 1960s television series. The budget of the film was an estimated $100,000,000. Production was troubled, with many actors considered for the main roles. Filming locations include Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA and the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, NY. The film was released on June 16, 1995. Batman Forever received mixed reviews upon release, with critics praising the cinematography, visuals and art direction but noting that it was campier and more bombastic than previous installments. The film had success with audiences, out-grossing Batman Returns with over $336 million worldwide and becoming the sixth-highest grossing film worldwide of 1995. It made $52,784,433 in the United States for its opening weekend (June 22, 1995) on 2842 screens. Plot In Gotham City, Batman (Val Kilmer) stops a hostage situation in a bank caused by Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), the alter ego of the disfigured former district attorney, Harvey Dent. Unfortunately, Two-Face escapes. Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), a researcher at Wayne Enterprises, develops a device to beam television directly to a person's brain; Bruce Wayne (with whom Edward is obsessed) rejects the invention, noting that it "raises too many questions", and Edward angrily resigns from his position after killing his supervisor. After meeting psychiatrist Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), Bruce invites her to a charity circus event. There, Two-Face and his henchmen storm the event in an attempt to discover Batman's secret identity, and in the process murder The Flying Graysons, a family of acrobats. The youngest member, Dick (Chris O'Donnell), survives and throws Two-Face's bomb into the river. Bruce assumes responsibility for Dick and allows him to stay at Wayne Manor. Dick then declares his intention to kill Two-Face and avenge his family's murder, and when he discovers Bruce's secret identity as Batman, he insists on becoming his partner, "Robin". Meanwhile, Edward becomes a criminal known as the "Riddler", the master of puzzles and quizzes and forms an alliance with Two-Face. Using his invention that Bruce had rejected earlier, Edward can read and control people's minds, and steal their intelligence quotient. At a business party, Edward discovers Bruce's secret identity. Two-Face then attacks the party and nearly kills Batman, but Robin arrives just in time to save his life. However, Two-Face and the Riddler later converge into Wayne Manor. The Riddler enters the Batcave and destroys most of the equipment, and he and Two-Face kidnap Chase, while leaving Bruce another riddle. After solving the last riddle, Batman and Robin locate the Riddler's lair, Claw Island, where both are separated upon reaching the island. Robin then encounters Two-Face and manages to beat him to the ground; realizing that he does not have it in him to commit murder, Robin helps the villain back up. Two-Face gets the upper hand and captures Robin. Meanwhile, Batman manages to make his way into the Riddler's lair, where Robin and Chase are revealed as hostages, bound, gagged with duct tape and held over a watery chasm, giving Batman a choice of saving just one hostage. Batman finds a way to save both hostages, and manages to destroy the brainwave-collecting device, driving the Riddler into a mental breakdown in the process. During the battle, Two-Face falls to his death. The Riddler is finally sent to Arkham Asylum, and Chase is asked to consult on his case. Edward Nygma offers to reveal the identity of Batman to her, but he thinks himself Batman. Chase then meets Bruce Wayne outside and tells him his secret is safe. Batman and Robin then continue to protect Gotham City from crime. Cast *Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman *Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face *Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma/The Riddler *Nicole Kidman as Dr. Chase Meridian *Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson/Robin *Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth *Pat Hingle as James Gordon *Drew Barrymore as Sugar *Debi Mazar as Spice *Elizabeth Sanders as Gossip Gerty *René Auberjonois as Dr. Burton *Joe Grifasi as Hawkins *Ofer Samra as Two-Face's thug *Ed Begley, Jr. as Fred Stickley External links * Category:Films Category:1995 release Category:Batman series Category:Val Kilmer films Category:Jim Carrey films Category:Tommy Lee Jones films Category:Nicole Kidman films Category:Chris O'Donnell films